


With the Stars and Us

by TomesByBones



Series: Shumako Week 2019 [7]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Post-Canon, Romance, Serious, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 11:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17507543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomesByBones/pseuds/TomesByBones
Summary: Written for ShuMako Week 2019 Day 7Theme: Family / Future / ChildrenIt's been two years since Ren and Makoto were wed. Ren's now working with Yoshida to improve the lives of Japan's youth. Makoto's up for a promotion soon as well! Things are going so well that it'd almost be a crime for life to throw a curve-ball their way, right? Right?!





	1. Time flies...

Ren Amamiya stood in the middle of Café Leblanc, and apron slung over the white formal dress shirt that he normally wore to his actual job. He wasn’t there today though, he was trying to do something different with one of the children in his youth group. Working with Yoshida as a member of the National Diet had its perks of course but excess time was not one of them. To top it all off Ren still insisted on being Ren and helping with anything his friends had asked of him whenever they needed it.

When his wife of two years now had worried that he was running himself ragged he had balked a little, stating that she was the last person he wanted to hear that from. The honeymoon phase of their marriage had never really ended, but he’d be damned if Makoto’s progression up the ladder towards her goal of Police Commissioner didn’t leave him with more than enough excess time at home on the nights where nobody was available or needed anything, effectively leaving the natural busy-body to twiddle his thumbs in frustration.

Thankfully those days were coming to an end though, Makoto was up for another promotion soon, this time from Corporal to Sergeant. Right now, was the time when Makoto said she had needed to push hard for it and Ren knew what that meant. Lots of nights eating dinner alone over his own pile of work, wishing that he and his wife could revisit their days as college students who constantly wound up staying in bed for much too long, doing much too inappropriate things. He knew this meant a lot to her though and that with her being only twenty-eight herself it would’ve made her one of the youngest females to ever receive the rank in the Tokyo police force.

Hell, it actually may have been closer to one of the youngest across Japan. When Makoto had listed off the statistics of how many women had moved up in the police force, he hadn’t remembered too many names in all honesty, just that there hadn’t been _that_ many. He had met one of those names on that list a few years back on a small trip to Inaba with Yusuke to visit the hot springs there though. The world-famous artist seeking inspiration in a new location as he so often did now. Ren tried to recall the name of the young woman, a Chie Satonaka he believed, or was it Narukami? he couldn’t remember.

Ren remembered meeting the girl’s husband though, he had exhibited a similar aura to his own and he felt as if they were _related_ somehow, but he never did figure it out. The man, Yu! That was his name! Yu had said he felt a similar vibe from Ren, although he definitely thought that he pulled the gray eyes thing off better. Chie had punched him in the shoulder at that remark, to which Ren had merely explained to the off-duty officer that he was on a short sight seeing trip with a family friend. The National Diet had no real business in Inaba. Although if she needed something to report back to her superiors then she could tell them that politician Ren Amamiya was there scouting for a new youth initiative program that he was going to try to push through legislation soon.

Ren’s thoughts had become much more like those that plagued his wife in her youth it seemed, steam rolling into one after the other. They had rubbed off on each other in both the best and worst of ways he found. She had picked up on his wit and even some of his cunning charm, and him picking up on her analytical thinking, even if it did come with some of her more chaotic thought processes.  He had completely zoned out while standing in the café, his mind in a faraway place during a far-off time. It wasn’t until he heard a glass breaking beside him that he snapped out of it.

Tatsu, a young man that Ren had been mentoring for his Youth Rehabilitation Initiative was standing over the broken glass on the floor, coffee beans sprawling every which way and wonder. Boss would be pissed if those were some of the valuable ones, but Ren could easily pay for more to be shipped to the little hole in the wall café.

“I’m sorry Amamiya-senpai.” Tatsunaru Himada bowed profusely as his body tensed up. The boy had been physically abused by his father until he was fourteen. Then when the old drunk had turned his attention to Tatsu’s six year old sister the young man had stabbed him in the back with a butcher knife, paralyzing the man from the waist down, according to the police reports; Tatsu had only stabbed him once, and then left the knife in his back and took his sister and ran. When the police finally found the children two weeks later, they were sleeping under a bridge just outside of their hometown. The girl had been feverish and near death and Tatsu had been severely malnourished, refusing to eat anything if his sister remained hungry.

Sae had been Tatsu’s defense attorney and that was how Ren became involved with the young man. Sae, for all her bluster and stern mannerisms, had an extremely big heart when it came to kids. Ren guessed this was because Sae had found out a couple years prior that she would never be able to have children of her own, a birth defect that had ran amongst the women in her family. This resulted in her passing Ren the names of kids that needed help for the YRI legislation that he was building evidence in support of, claiming that children who had a rough go of it and been victims of circumstance, much like Ren himself, were capable of becoming so much more than the label of delinquent that commonly fell on them.

Ren had taken a role in the young man’s life not dissimilar to the one Sojiro Sakura had taken. Except Tatsunaru and his sister Mimiku Himada were staying at Sae’s residence and not the dusty old attic above the café. Ren had initially offered to house the children after convincing Makoto that it’d be good practice for them one day if they had planned to have children of their own, but Sae had stepped in and overruled Ren’s testimony at Tatsu’s court hearing saying that she would personally like to be responsible for the two youths.

Probably because Mimiku looked so much like Makoto did at her age, Ren deduced upon meeting the young girl. They looked similar, a little at least. Mimiku’s eyes were a dark brown, and her hair jet black, like the majority of Japanese people, but it was her facial features. If Ren didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn the child would’ve passed for Makoto’s daughter. That comment had gotten him slapped in the shoulder with Makoto shooting her family’s namesake glare his way and muttering that she was way too young to have a six-year-old daughter. Ren could see the way her eyes lit up at the playful remark though. Makoto’s baby fever was slowly starting to kick in, it wouldn’t be much longer now until they would sit down and have that conversation about whether they were ready to try as parents or not, or if they even could. They knew there was a chance that the hereditary disease that had rendered Sae unable to birth a child could also have affected Makoto, but they hadn’t been ready to explore that possibility yet, so that was on hold as well.

“Tatsu, it’s fine. It was an accident, grab the broom from the kitchen and dustpan from under the counter there by your foot.” Ren pointed behind Tatsu to the small green handle that was sticking out from under the counter. Tatsu immediately rushed to grab the broom, his head down in shame as he scurried past Ren. Ren took note of the young man’s posture, that slump of the shoulders and downtrodden gaze reminded him so much of himself in his youth. Tatsu looked nothing like him however, his hair was a light brown, almost unnatural for a Japanese man. Tatsu said it was because he was half Caucasian. His father had been Japanese, but his mother had been an American woman. She had died during childbirth with his sister when Tatsu was only eight years old. His eyes were also a bluish green. He’d never seen eyes like that. Another trait that survived the boy’s mother, he thought.

“Tatsu…” Ren slowly placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I mean it, it’s okay. Accidents happen, hold your chin up, straighten your back, and walk proud.” Ren was extremely careful when using physical contact as a resource to create rapport with the young man. Sometimes it worked well, other times it sent him cowering deeper inside of himself. This was one of the former times. Tatsu straightened up, pushed his chin up slightly so that he was looking forward, and walked calmly to grab the broom, a slight boyish smile that wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to Ren rest on the young man’s face now.

“Good man. Now let’s get this mess cleaned up, the evening rush is coming soon and you’re in charge of curry tonight.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sae sighed deeply as she flipped through the channels on the widescreen television in her apartment. Hunting for something, _anything_ , to get the little girl to wind down for a nap. Mimi-kun had been extremely cranky today. Sae knew it was because her older brother Tatsu had left with her brother-in-law earlier that morning before Mimiku had woken up. She never had good days when that happened. She had almost pleaded with Ren to come back later, let the child see her big brother before he left and then he could have him for as long as he wanted.

Mimiku sat on her rear next to Sae on a black couch that newly furnished her apartment. Her arms wrapped around a giant Buchimaru stuffed animal that had a few patch jobs along its seams. Makoto’s old stuffed animal. Sae could remember when she had told her younger sister that the little girl had taken a liking to it, and that she slept with it every night. Makoto had figuratively, lost her shit, at that. The twenty-eight year old grown woman, who had spent more time cuddling a certain fluffy haired man than anything was complaining that this six year old girl could damage her precious _’Buchi-kun.’_

It had taken everything in Sae not to hang up on the girl, this was ridiculous. There was a twenty-two year gap between her and Mimiku and Makoto _still_ managed to be every bit the brat she had been as a young child when their mother was still alive. Sae had let her get the ranting out of her system before she had simply informed Makoto that the girl was _six_ , she had just been found a month ago damn near half dead and that Makoto, of all people, should’ve been more understanding of that.

Makoto had gone completely silent on the other end of the phone for a minute after Sae had torn into her. She thought that he younger sister had hung up on her at first, something that happened every so often when they butted heads now. Things had been so much simpler when the younger Niijima was afraid of her sister. Makoto had huffed quietly and then apologized. Explaining that the stuffed animal was the last gift their father had given her, and it was sacred to her, she hadn’t meant to come off as insensitive and uncaring at all. She just cherished what little bit of her father she had left. To which Sae had asked why in the hell it was still in her old room then.

Makoto hadn’t wanted to answer that question. Things in the Amamiya-Niijima household weren’t always exactly G rated, and Makoto didn’t want the _stuffed animal_ to witness some of the more _passionate_ moments between Ren and herself. If Sae could’ve she would’ve reached through the phone and flicked her sister’s forehead with that explanation. Saying that the stuffed animal couldn’t be subjected to such carnal desires, but Makoto could speak about them with her sister. She was trying to find a way out of hearing the rest of this conversation now and Makoto, bless her soul, finally took the hint. A simple _“Point taken…”_ coming through the phone line as that slice of awkwardness ended finally.

That conversation ended with the elder Niijima learning more than she had wanted to, but Sae promised that she would ensure Buchimaru’s safety while the aged toy remained in Mimiku’s possession. The gesture had been enough to silence Makoto’s childish pouting about the stuffed animal and gotten Sae out of that awkward conversation. It wasn’t so much that she minded hearing it from Makoto, she honestly felt like the two of them were close enough now to where they could discuss anything they wanted. However, Makoto was vastly more experienced in that department now it seemed. Sae’s own experience with romance and the more carnal desires of the flesh being quite miniscule and thus, slightly embarrassing.

Mimiku sat quietly, pouting still while clutching the panda-dog toy. Her straight black hair was combed much like Sae’s now, the only difference that she wore a blue butterfly hair clip that held her bangs back out of her face. She tapped Sae’s shoulder with her finger as the woman finally gave up channel surfacing.

“Sae-san, when is my brother coming back?” Mimiku looked at the ground, her little arms squeezing the stuffed animal tight enough to make Sae worried that it’s head may pop off at any moment. Makoto would’ve killed her for that. Sae sighed a little bit and flipped the TV, turning to face the young girl sitting on her couch.

“I have an idea Mimi-kun.” Sae leaned forward towards the small child, using her hands to keep herself propped up. Her big brown eyes looking up at Sae as she waited to hear Sae’s great idea. “Why don’t we go visit Tatsu and Amamiya-san at work?” Sae smiled honestly, it was a smile that nobody in the world besides Makoto, and possibly Ren if he had been observant enough, had ever seen.

The little girl’s eyes lit up like that was the Best. Idea. Ever and she forcefully discarded the Buchimaru plushie over the back of the couch and ran into Makoto’s old room to get dressed, and audible and elongated _“Yayyyyyy”_ echoing throughout the tiny two-bedroom apartment. Sae frantically reached up and caught the poor panda-dog as it went sailing through the air, a large tear forming on the back of its neck as Sae’s nail ripped through the cloth creature. Stuffing sprayed from the wound like blood and Sae’s entire body went cold.

“Oh shit…” Welp, this was it, she had a good run. Makoto was going to kill her.

 

* * *

 

 

The horrible retching sound cascaded off the walls of the bathroom in the precinct. Causing Makoto’s head to hurt even more. She felt like she had been hit by a truck. She wasn’t sick this morning but as she picked at the breakfast of egg and traditional miso soup Ren had prepared for them this morning, she realized that she hadn’t felt like eating. Ren had already left to go pick up the older Himada sibling by the time she had gotten out of bed. A little love note waiting for on her phone that Ren had scrawled with the pen accessory on her home screen.

_There’s soup in the microwave waiting on you,_

_Eggs in the bowl on the stove._

_We should get together tonight. I miss you._

Makoto had missed him too, even though the couple hadn’t been married for that long at all, the nauseated woman couldn’t help but feel as if they hardly saw each other anymore. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, they saw one another, but usually it was just whenever she would wake Ren up from the old white couch from Sae’s living room to come to bed when she came trawling in late at night. Every night. She knew that he’d passed out there waiting for her to come home. Even without Morgana there to remind him, her husband got tired so early in the evening that he had just finally started going to bed before it got too late into the night. Then again, he also did get up at four something in the morning most days, so that probably had a lot to do with too.

Neither one of them had work that early, but Ren filled that time with his own personal interests, whether it be working out with Ryuji as the sun came up or cooking an extravagant breakfast to surprise her, he was always up to something whenever his feet first hit the ground. A trait Makoto had used to share with him before work had started to become a twenty-four-hour job. These days though she seemed to be more of a night owl than she really wanted to be, she knew it was bad for her skin, but her job had demanding hours, and Ren knew her goals going into this relationship. He’d be okay.

It was about the time when she’d come to that last part when she had first felt her stomach refuse the egg and miso soup she had picked at slightly. She rushed to the bathroom and remained there for a good twenty minutes. Expelling whatever the contents of her stomach were. Where was it all coming from?! She was a peck-ish eater as it was already, always trying to watch her figure as the years slowly crept up on her. They seemed to go by faster and faster each year. It felt like yesterday her and Ren were standing in front of the alter saying their vows and crying like babies in front of their friends and families. That had been two years ago now, and Makoto felt as if she had been regurgitating two years’ worth of food by the time she had made it to work.

Regardless of how she felt, she looked the part perfectly, her uniform pristine and clean. It was the uniform of a Tokyo Police Corporal, she had quickly made a name for herself at her precinct when she had busted an underground sex trafficking ring single handedly, while on duty as a patrol cop that walked the streets of Tokyo. That one had landed her the role of detective. Her case closure rate never left the ninety’s in the two years that she served in that role, even taking on a few additional cold cases that had proven to be her biggest challenges yet.

A year ago, she had been bumped up to corporal, but a chance opening as Sergeant had fell on her desk recently by the way of her good friend Mr. Sugura, the super intendent of the precinct where she worked. She had been grateful for the opportunity to present herself in an interview to the Deputy Chief of Police and the police commissioner himself. That was today. So now she needed to figure out why she couldn’t stay out of the bathroom for longer than thirty minutes without having to dispel a year’s worth of food that she couldn’t even remember eating.

A female voice rang out from the sink as the water began to run.

“Sounds like somebody’s got morning sickness.” Makoto didn’t outright recognize the voice on the other side of the door but the implication that it brought stopped Makoto mid hurl. _‘No…’_ Makoto’s mind flashed the word in big bold letters for her body to understand. _‘No, no no.’_ this wasn’t possible, was it? Well yes, Makoto supposed it entirely was, it hadn’t been _that_ long ago that her and Ren had made some time for one another, for a wonderful night full of cuddling, conversation and… Something not quite considered ‘love-making’ but it had a _similar_ effect.

But _this_ could not be happening _today_. Even if she was, any day but today. Her interview was in… She glanced at the wristwatch on her arm and nearly shrieked when she saw the time.

“I’m late!!!!” Makoto howled as she flushed the toilet quickly and stood up straight, surprising the slight urge to lean back down and continue heaving out food from some mysterious black hole inside of her stomach.

“That’s kinda what happens there hun. Ya know, do the deed, get the _seed_.” That voice again, it was older, she’d heard it before, but it sounded different as it bounced off the walls in the female restroom.

Makoto patted down her uniform again and made sure none of her recent expulsions had stained the outfit. She was good she thought, she sighed again, breathing deeply to try and calm the nausea on her stomach and opened the door.

“Hey there.” Leaned against the counter was none other than the Deputy Chief of Police. A middle-aged woman by the name of Nanami Hoshiro. “Emetrol, it’s an over the counter medicine that’ll take care of that.” The woman offered a handful of damp paper towels from the dispenser to Makoto now and she smiled thinly, Makoto made a mental note of the name of the medicine she suggested as well. If she was suffering from morning sickness, then she would definitely need to try that.

“Sir! I apologize, I hadn’t realized that there was anyone else---” _‘Oh god, no, don’t puke now.’_ Makoto shuddered a little as she held a hand to her stomach. Anat warning her to not open her mouth again or her career in this precinct was officially over.

“Oh wow hun. You got it bad today huh? And I am not like all those uppity other women that have high ranks, call me ma’am.” The older woman crossed her arms, looking at Makoto amused. “How far along are you?”

“I’m… Not.” Was all Makoto managed to stammer out before retreating into the stall and letting the contents of her stomach forcefully push their way out. She hadn’t even had a chance to shut the door behind her before she was hugging the toilet again.

The elder woman walked up behind Makoto and knelt a little, pulling the brunette’s hair back and patting her shoulder softly. Signaling her that it was okay, to go ahead and let it out.

Makoto did.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren was half way startled when his phone rang around eight pm. The evening rush at Leblanc had just finished up a few moments ago, leaving Tatsu and himself with a rather sizable mess to clean up. It had been a profitable day to say the least. Sae and the younger Himada sibling had came by, causing Tatsu to work even harder. Ren wasn’t sure if he was trying to impress the younger girl, or the one that happened to be much older than him, either way, the extra effort was appreciated tonight. They had been far busier than Boss had suggested they’d probably be.

Sae and Mimiku had retreated to the attic above, now a properly furnished bedroom with a decent television and the latest gaming console from one company or another, Futaba would know more about it. Ren didn’t have time to keep up with that kind of thing anymore, unfortunately.

“Hey beautiful!” Ren’s voice perked up as he answered his cell phone. “Everything okay?” He rubbed his temples slowly and listened to his wife’s voice on the receiver.

 _“You need to come home, now.”_ Makoto’s voice sounded upset, what was she doing home this early? It wasn’t even eight thirty yet.

“Alright babe just let me finish closing up the shop for Sojiro, I have Tatsu here with me helping out and Sae brought Mimiku by to visit. I can’t just leave. Is there some kind of emergency?” Ren’s voice was full of worry now as he softly rubbed the back of his neck.

 _“Oh! No, no emergency! I just found out some news today and I really REALLY need to talk to you about it.”_ Makoto sighed into the phone. _“Just get home as soon as you can… Please?”_ Ren knew whenever Makoto got that tone in her voice that it was serious. Regardless of what she was saying.

“Yeah okay, give me twenty minutes and we’ll head out.” Sojiro wouldn’t mind him closing up shop half an hour early, right? Probably not, but he decided to send the man a text letting him know something was going on and he had to close a bit ahead of schedule. Boss wasn’t Ren’s _boss_ per se, he couldn’t tell him that he couldn’t do it, or he’d fire him or anything. It was just a sign of respect that one man extended to another. The same way Sojiro had let him know if and when the shop would ever be closed because he had something going on.

_*Ding*_

_Do your thing kid. I’m at home in bed, Doctor’s orders._

Ren smiled a little, thinking of his culinary mentor as he turned towards Tatsu, the young man had already finished cleaning the counter tops and dishes, all that was left was to package the leftover curry in to go boxes, clean up the coffee machines and send everyone home.

“Go let Sae and your sister know we’ll be heading out soon.” Ren pulled the apron over his head and reached into the kitchen, turning the slow cooker’s dial from _warm_ to _off._

Tatsu bounded up the stairs as Ren quietly pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. He grabbed a few bills and folded them up on the counter. Right where Tatsu could see them when he came leaping back down the steps, that fourteen-year-old back in prime physical condition for such antics. Tatsu moved to set the apron across one of the stools, neatly folded when he noticed the Yen on the counter.

“What’s this?” He held up it as he glanced up at Ren.

“Honest pay for honest work. What did you think, that I wasn’t pay you for busting your ass in here today?” Ren unrolled the sleeves of his shirt so that his forearms didn’t show anymore. Ren had learned a long time ago that coffee grounds and white clothing didn’t mix well, so now whenever he did anything with the café, he made it a point to roll his sleeves up. It had just become a habit at this point after so many years of helping Sojiro out.

Unlike Boss however he had the means to provide this young man with some small amount of money. Well, maybe not small amount, the boy worked hard today so he threw in a small bonus. He’d even gotten some compliments on his curry this time, and that was a huge improvement over the last time they had tried this.

“I can’t take this…” Tatsu sat the money back down on the counter just in time for Sae and Mimiku to see the exchange while they were coming down the stairs.

“And why is that?” Sae said looking at the two five thousand Yen bills sitting on the counter. “You should always receive compensation for your services Tatsunaru.” Sae sighed deeply rubbing her temples in exhaustion. Mimiku ran up to Tatsu and started pulling on the young man’s hand. He crouched down slowly and looked the small child in the eyes.

“Tatsu, now that you’re rich can you buy me a new Buchimaru-kun for Mrs. A- amamamai?” The little girl looked forlorn when she tried to pronounce Ren’s last name. He chuckled slightly at the sound. Then a sudden fear dawned on him. If this munchkin was asking Tatsu to buy Makoto a new Buchi-kun… What had happened to the old one? Ren wasn’t laughing anymore as he looked at Sae, a look of dread slowly overtaking her face as she opened her mouth slowly and looked at her brother-in-law. One hand held up to silence her sister’s keeper before he could start questioning her.

“Now hold on a second… I can explain.” Yep, Sae was going to die when Makoto found out.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren no longer took the subway usually. One of the perks about having two bikes in the family is that one of them, Makoto’s first bike, was his now. Makoto obviously preferring her bike that Ren had paid a small fortune to have built custom for the woman of his dreams. He had to admit, it was a real head turner when he came flying down the street. A blur of blue and silver that left trails behind it when Makoto really opened the machine up. It didn’t sound nearly as intimidating as the _actual_ Johanna, but that was probably because there wasn’t a Persona powering the machine that reacted to it’s owner’s emotional state of mind.

Ren dismounted the older model motorcycle that he had affectionately taken over ownership of and care for once Makoto’s Johanna was under her lock and key. Makoto had been thrilled when Ren surprised her by sending her a picture of his motorcycle license, she would have to immediately begin planning for a road trip with the two of them riding alongside one another, it was like her dream date after all, she loved the open road, the speed of it all and she loved Ren, why wouldn’t those two things go well together? Ren had been forced to slow down her planning though as he wasn’t one hundred percent ready for that quite yet. That had been a while ago though and he was finally starting to feel as though he may be ready to take her up on that offer.

If she could ever pry herself away from her duties at the precinct that is.

He knew he shouldn’t be bitter as he slid his key into the door and twisted it slightly, he had known what he was signing up for when he had confessed his feelings to Makoto in Crossroads years ago. That expectation had never shifted or changed. He’d knew she would be a workaholic once she finally started, she had a dream that she wanted to accomplish, and now he kind of did as well. It wasn’t necessarily being a politician, but that was a means to an end, one he would utilize to achieve his goals. Which meant if being a member of the National Diet did that then he’d remain right where he was.

He took a deep breath, he wondered what Makoto would say about the Buchimaru plushie, and what this important news was that she had wanted to share with him. The living room was completely dark but Ren could make out Makoto sitting there with the third eye ability he still possessed, just like she did when her mind weighed heavily on something. He flipped the light switch by the door and looked at his wife sitting on the couch, hands cupped in front of her face with a file sitting in front of her on the coffee table.

“Hey babe, why are you sitting out here in the dark?” Ren blinked quickly a few times, really taking in the sight of her. Her hair was messy, and she was sporting one of his T-shirts, her legs curled up underneath her with her elbows resting on top of them. Her face was red, and her eyes were bloodshot, like she had been crying for some time now. Whatever was going on, it was serious. “Makoto?” Ren asked, wondering if she had even realized that he had turned the light on.

Makoto’s eyes shot up at him and she jumped slightly, being pulled out of wherever her mind had taken her this time. She dropped something on the coffee table on top of the file when she started to stand up. Ren hadn’t been able to make out what it was that had fallen before she had scrambled and picked up, clutching it tightly in one of her hands.

“Ren!” once she was convinced the thing in her hand was hidden, she rose from the couch and ran towards him, throwing her arms around him as she began to whimper. Ren knew this noise, she was overwhelmed. He didn’t hear her cry much these days, she had worked through many of the demons that had caused her insecurities in their relationship, and overall, she had become a more grounded woman. Ren had felt incredibly proud of her when they had first discussed how much she’d grown but something about the way she leaned up on her toes to hug him around his neck reminded him of that young teenage girl that had no idea about romance and was so unsure of herself.

“Ren, I’m glad you’re home. Please sit with me.” She took him by the hand softly and led him towards the couch where she sat down and opened the case file on the table. It was a file on him. Ren’s mouth opened as if to ask _’What the fuck is this?’_ but he didn’t put volume behind it. He sat down slowly and glanced over at Makoto. “I know this looks bad, but it’s really not. It’s just a little…” Makoto’s voice trailed off quickly as she held a hand up at him, something seemed to reanimate the woman now, but Ren couldn’t figure it out. She still had her left hand closed tightly around whatever it was she hadn’t wanted him to see.

“So during my interview today I was asked about you.” Makoto began, explaining that the police commissioner was worried that the _rising star_ of Tokyo’s police force and the _prodigal son_ of politics were a dangerous power couple. Ren had grinned at that.

 _‘Damn right.’_ Arsene had cackled in Ren’s mind.

Makoto rolled her eyes at Ren, seeing his ego rise in his smile and continued. Her superiors were concerned that there was a conflict of interest, should Makoto choose to keep moving higher up the chain of command within the police force. They were worried that an officer with administrative abilities with ties to a political representative could easily be used to push said political representative’s agenda. Just like Shido. As such, the police commissioner had requested to meet with Ren within the next few days. He also asked for Ren to prepare a brief of all the legislation Ren had signed off on or pushed through himself. These would need to be copies as the Commissioner would be keeping them for review.

“He just wants to avoid another situation like the one with Shido.” Makoto sighed deeply as her husband scratched at his chin. This didn’t sound on the up and up to him, but he agreed none the less. Ren slowly looked his wife up and down, her cheeks still stained from tears. Something wasn’t adding up.

“Makoto, I get you being worried about this, but…” He scooted closer and placed a hand on her leg. “Why were you crying? This isn’t anything to be that upset over.” Makoto jumped a little at his touch, and Ren’s mind immediately flashed to the young girl sitting on the couch at Leblanc, eyes wide with excitement and anxiety as she stumbled her way through her first adventures in dating. The scene was almost exactly the same, well almost, the topic of conversation was vastly different. Makoto shuffled in her spot slightly and turned away from him, her lips trembling softly as her nerves got the best of her.

Ren’s heart couldn’t handle this, his wife was so adorable when her bashfulness showed itself. It usually took a lot more these days for her to revert to this side of herself. The man wanted to laugh at how cute the entire thing was, but instead he simply ran his hand down her back and began to try and reassure the brunette sitting beside him.

 “If you don’t want to talk about it then just tell-----” He was cut off as Makoto couldn’t hold it in any longer, she turned towards him quickly flashing the widest smile she could on her face, the same smile she had shown when she first started the bike styled after Johanna, and when he had proposed. Makoto slowly brought her hands to sit in his lap and opened them, revealing the small _stick_ that rest in the palm of one of them. Ren’s eyes practically bulged out of his skull as he looked at the little device in her hand, a blue plus sitting on the little viewfinder. Ren recognized the contraption now, he’d only seen it once before when they had gone through a pregnancy scare during college, sans the blue plus, obviously.

“Ren, you’re going to be a **daddy**!” Makoto shifted the home pregnancy test in her hand and gripped it with her thumb and index finger, showing the man the result on the little window. Makoto then threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Letting happiness wash over her finally. She hadn’t been crying because she was sad, she was crying because after so long of being afraid that she would be unable to have children like Sae, she had finally gotten pregnant. It was terrible timing, but it was happening, and Makoto couldn’t help feeling completely ecstatic.

Ren blinked. Looking at Makoto and then back at the stick. Suddenly his mind thought about the stuffed Buchimaru toy Makoto’s father had given her sitting on Sae’s kitchen table. A mangled mess of thread and needless protruding from the poor panda-dog, stuffing popping out of several holes that Sae had accidentally created while trying to fix one on the back of the toy’s neck. A casualty of Sae’s inability to do simple patchwork with a needle and thread.

Ren’s eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted with Makoto still latched onto him, hugging him tightly. When the man toppled over off the couch onto the floor, he took his young wife with him as she screamed his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice fluffy start, but be warned, Chapter 1 is only the beginning.


	2. Unkind World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Ren are expecting! Life is good for the Niijima-Amamiya family. They're just now discovering everything that goes into a pregnancy when some unexpected bad news turns everything on it's head.

Over the course of the next week Ren and Makoto had spent hours upon hours researching all things _baby_ related. Ren had been astounded when Makoto had shown him the average cost for raising a child in Tokyo. Who could afford those kinds of numbers with a normal job?! Makoto had been floored when Ren had discovered a handy list of all the things that Makoto couldn’t drink or eat during pregnancy. Coffee, or more specifically caffeine, was right at the top of that list.

“Welp, guess we’re not having a baby then…” Makoto had scoffed half seriously as she gazed over the list. What did these doctors think she was supposed to survive off of? Kelp and tea?

Ren had laughed at that, stating that not all of those items needed to be cut out entirely, to which Makoto had nodded enthusiastically.

“Good because if I have to give up chocolate then I’m going to make your life hell for nine months, Amamiya.” The woman crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip out, pouting like a child. Ren figured she wasn’t serious, but a small part of him was honestly terrified that she may actually have been. He had left early that morning to meet with Yoshida and to tell him about Makoto’s pregnancy. His wife had wanted to wait until they at least had the first visit to the doctor behind them before she shared the information with anyone, but Ren insisted. Stating that Yoshida wasn’t just a friend, but his boss. That made sense when Makoto had thought about it, Ren would need to at least take a day off to visit the doctor with her. Ren had kissed her forehead as he left her in the small home office that the second bedroom of the apartment served as. In the coming months this room would need to be changed as well, but for now it served as Makoto’s central hub of pregnancy research.

Makoto’s head was spinning at all the information that sat sprawled out upon Ren’s desk that she had been printing out. There was so _much_ information on the internet about pregnancy that it honestly overwhelmed the poor woman. A lot of what they had found had been valuable information that neither of the two had really expected. Makoto’s favorite so far had been a small snippet about being able to _feel_ the baby moving and kicking inside of her stomach, that part had been exciting, and she couldn’t wait to experience that feeling for herself for the first time.

Most of the information amounted to various discomforts for her though, back pain, weight gain, hormonal mood swings, and oh so much more. Makoto was slightly scared at all the various little ways having a living creature growing inside of her would affect her body, and her mind. She hadn’t really ever discussed pregnancy with Sae during her teenage years. Sae had sat her down when she had started getting her monthly cycle, a huge relief to their father at the time, and explained things in a _matter-of-fact_ sort of way. Sae had just briefly touched on the topic of sex then, but she didn’t explain much other than _‘Don’t do it’_ and why. Makoto was sort of glad for that _now_ , but if Sae had been trying to keep her from ever considering the idea of having a child then it probably wouldn’t have hurt to lay it on a little thicker. Then again, Makoto had never even considered these kinds of things as something that her body was designed for, even then. So maybe Sae had done a pretty good job of keeping her on her feet and off her back while she was younger.

Makoto hadn’t told anyone yet, she knew she needed to at least tell Sae as soon as she could, but she at least wanted to get the initial visit to the doctor over with to confirm that the four home pregnancy tests that she had taken were all accurate. She highly doubted that all four tests had been wrong, but there was always that chance. Maybe a small part of her had wanted this news to be just for her and her husband for a few days while they wrapped their heads around the new adventure they were about to experience.

Parenthood.

Makoto sighed a little bit, she was nervous about the whole thing. Sae had raised her since her father’s death but neither sister knew anything about mothering, and Sae had never raised a baby either so she probably wouldn’t be much help here. She knew that her friends had dubbed her Mom-Koto years ago because she was always checking up on them and offering support for them whenever she could, but that was different. That was her checking up on her teenage friends, not a baby. She needed to figure out how to take care of one of _those._ She felt up to the task though, how hard could a baby really be?

How had Futaba put it all those years ago?

_‘Team Mom was best Mom.’_

Makoto smiled at the memory and looked at the picture sitting on Ren’s desk. The group of friends had all huddled up outside the van that Makoto had rented to drive Ren home to his parent’s house in that tiny village three hours away. She thought about all the fun and exciting adventures she had experienced since meeting Ren. This was just another one in a long line of happy incidents that had occurred after the teens’ stint as The Phantom Thieves of Hearts had ended. Ren had always joked that they got their hard times out of the way early on so they could enjoy their lives now.

That goof was ever the optimist.

The memories made Makoto smile, she loved reflecting on them and although she no longer had that constant outlet for her anger and frustrations that she had back then, Shadows were pretty scarce now with the Metaverse gone after all, she couldn’t help but be glad that those days were over in a sense. No, the gang wasn’t as close as it had been then, but they had each found their places out in the world. Something that none of them had ever thought was even possible. Makoto stared at the figure in the middle of the picture. Tall and handsome, fluffy black hair covering one eye as he smiled into the camera. He had on that white button up shirt, that she never saw buttoned up, over a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and his brown shoes that he wore whenever he felt being casual.

Ren Amamiya

Her husband, her love, her friend.

How different would all of their lives be if that young man hadn’t stumbled off the train to Tokyo one day in Yongjen-Jaya? Would she have found him still? Would anyone of them have found each other if Ren hadn’t appeared when he did? The circumstances that brought them together were those that made each of them a social outcast in some way or another. Each wanting to change the world so that people didn’t have to feel the way they did; useless, alone, afraid.

Her heart was heavy when she ran through the _‘What if’s’_ of her friend’s fates had this _one_ fluffy haired boy not popped up in their lives. She had thought about this before once, but it had been too hard to entertain her mind then because Ren wasn’t in Tokyo at the time, he had moved back home with his parents. All those memories seemed so far away now, the emotions and how much they had weighed on the group seemingly tamed by the passage of time. She placed a hand on her stomach as she leaned back in the chair now, breaking her stare into the gray eyes of her husband’s face on the picture frame.

Ren had made their lives inexplicably _better_. Yes, he had saved all of Japan… No. The world, from Yaldabaoth’s machinations but that wasn’t all Ren did. He was a beacon amidst all of them. A focal point for each of them to discover their paths in life. A pillar of support for each and every one of them, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. That young man, so aloof and stylish, with such a stylish performer’s heart. He had made their little group whole, he gave them light and hope, he was amazing.

And now he was going to be a parent, with _her_. Makoto smiled deeply as she let out a breath and let a few tears trickle down her cheeks.

How did she ever get so lucky?

 

* * *

 

 

 Makoto had insisted on finding a specialized doctor to set up her initial appointments and asked Ren to give Dr. Takemi a call to see if she knew anyone that she would recommend the couple to. Ren found himself in Yongjen-Jaya anyhow and decided that he’d do one better. He would go visit the woman, he hadn’t seen her since his last physical anyhow. That had been years ago now though and Ren wanted to see the look on her face when he finally explained _why_ he had come.

To be honest though when Ren had finally asked for a referral to a good OB/GYN the doctor hadn’t reacted at all. She merely looked him up and down and smirked a little, no doubt thinking about the fact that her little guinea pig had finally knocked up that cute brunette he had started dating during his probation. The same one that he had ended up standing on that altar with. Tae could remember how the small group of attendees, including herself, had cheered, clapped, and whistled suggestively when the couple had kissed each other standing in front of the officiating priest. The act was not at all chaste or innocent, but wholesome and beautiful all the same.

“Bout time Amamiya-kun.” Her eyes fluttered at him and Ren’s throat went dry, it was the same sort of half seductive, half teasing look that Tae had always given him. At this point he honestly just figured that it was how her face naturally looked when she relaxed. When Ren had first arrived in Tokyo and heard the rumors about _The Plague_ he hadn’t thought she would be as attractive as she was, the punk rock doc had floored Ren when he had first walked into the clinic so many years ago, his goal was to procure medicine that the Phantom Thieves could take into the Metaverse in case any of them were ever injured or became affected by the various magical abilities the Shadows of the metaverse wielded.

Honestly before he had first met Makoto, he had developed a little bit of a crush on the beautiful doctor. She definitely appealed to a few fantasies that younger Ren had. That lab coat had definitely made an appearance or two in Ren’s hormonal teenaged dreams. She was older, insanely attractive, and a rebel. All things Ren liked, but he had never been ballsy enough to make a move on the older woman and then shortly thereafter he had stumbled upon the Student Council President in the library, and as they say, the rest is history.

Tae scribbled a name on a piece of paper and handed it to Ren, to which he stared at blankly.

“You know damn good and well I can’t read your chicken scratch Takemi-san.” He joked, letting himself chuckle slightly as he waved the paper back at her. “What is it with you medical types and having absolutely shit handwriting?” He could speak plainly with this woman, she actually enjoyed it when he did.

“Hey! That’s prejudice against those of us in the medical field. I’ll have you know that I’ve recently taken up calligraphy!” She leaned back in her chair and glared at the young politician standing in front of her but Ren could tell she was just playing along.

“Oh god, I can only _imagine_ the horrible monstrosities your strokes create.” Ren leaned forward a little bit, keeping his teasing going.

“I’ll give you a _stroke_ if you don’t get out of my office Amamiya!” She acted as if she was going to throw her clipboard at the man when Ren bolted towards the door. Suspicious that she may have been able to do that if she truly wanted to.

“I’ll text you, get outta here, I got stuff to do…” The woman grumbled a little, halfway not wanting the man to leave. Her last patient had left her incredibly depressed, but Ren didn’t need to hear all that from her. Suddenly, Tae rose from her chair and poked her head through the large opening in the wall that acted as her receptionist window. “Oh, and Ren!” She called after him as he opened the door slowly. “Congratulations kid, you two are going to be great parents.” She smiled warmly at her former guinea pig as he left the office. Tae frowned deeply as soon as she watched Ren’s fluffy hair disappear behind the closing door of the clinic, silently hoping that he stopped by a certain little café in the area before heading home.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren was practically beaming as the sun shined down on him and the backstreets of Yongjen-Jaya. The man watched as a young adolescent girl knelt and pet her dog. Ren recognized her from years ago, the memory of the girl performing this same action popping into his head. He had talked with her a couple times in passing, just trying to be friendly. He waved at the young lady as he strode past and she looked up at him.

“Hi, Amamiya-san!” The girl waved back, and the puppy barked, his front paws lifting off the ground when he yipped at Ren, as if repeating the girl’s phrase.

Ren smiled warmly at the animal and thought about Morgana, he wondered what adventure his furry little friend was off on with Haru currently. He had wanted so desperately to tell Morgana that he was going to be a father. Out of all the Phantom Thieves, aside from Makoto of course, he had felt closest to Morgana. The small creature had been so put off when he found out the truth of his existence from Igor and Lavenza in the Velvet Room. That revelation had tortured him for so many years after that. It was ironic and sad that his friend would forever be stuck in the form of a small black and white house cat, but Morgana had slowly come to terms with it. The original Phantom Thief had pridefully moved in with Haru a couple weeks after Ren and Makoto had gotten their place together, stating that he wasn’t particularly keen on hearing their activities in that bedroom anymore. If Makoto could’ve she may have thrown the creature across the room when he blurted that out that he’d heard them the night prior.

Ren stopped at the door to Leblanc. The sign read “Closed” on the door, but he could see Sojiro standing at the counter. The man looked upset. Ren tapped on the glass, startling the aging brew master. Sojiro’s eyes widened and he rubbed his temples, or was he rubbing his eyes? Ren couldn’t tell. The man affectionately known as Boss waved to the boy, beckoning him inside.

“Closing the store works better if you don’t forget to lock the door, Boss.” Ren prodded as he stepped inside the Café. The little bell ringing as the door opened, then closed. Ren twisted the lock while gesturing towards it with the other hand, his face looking surprised when the lock _clicked_ loudly. He was still such a smart ass.

“You’re chipper today.” Sojiro leaned back over the counter, staring at the pot of coffee in front of him, waiting for it to finish brewing.

“Are you making _instant coffee_?!” Ren’s eyes were wide now as he took a seat at the counter across from Sojiro.

“Hell no!” The man snapped, glancing over his glasses at his former ward. “I had some grinds left over from yesterday and I’m just trying to use them up before they go bad.” Ren studied his culinary mentor’s face. He looked so much older than he actually was now, his hair had lost that vibrant black sheen that it had once had and was beginning to gray and thin. Sojiro had always had dark circles under his eyes but now they were so much more prominent. Crows feet stretched out from the corners of his eyes now as well and the man’s skin had somehow gotten even paler than normal. He looked sick.

“So, why’d you close up if you’re still here?” Ren pondered as he tried not to notice how poor the man’s health looked.

“Ah…” Sojiro rubbed his eyes and then sighed deeply. “Needed a breather, that’s all.” He could tell Sojiro was lying. After years of working together so closely and living in the attic above the café he could tell when the man was hiding something.

“Bullshit…” Ren leaned forward on his elbows and raised his eyebrows at Sojiro. “Talk to me, Boss.”

Sojiro rolled his eyes and considered admonishing the man sitting in front of him, but the look of concern on Ren’s face overrode his own irritation. Sojiro stepped into the kitchen area and came back holding a few sheets of paper. He dropped them on the counter in front of Ren and gestured towards them.

_Patient Name: Sojiro Sakura_

Was the first thing Ren saw when he turned the pages to sit right side up in front of him. He skimmed various other pieces of information and then looked at the next page. It was an x-ray of Sojiro’s chest. There were black marks all over the man’s lungs, some quite large. Suddenly Ren could feel his blood run cold as he looked at the man.

“Boss….” Ren stammered as he rose from the barstool. “What is this? Are you…” Ren couldn’t bring himself to say the words as he moved around the counter and stood in front of Sojiro.

“I just found out today…” The man rubbed his temples, still trying to wrap his head around the information that the papers contained.

Ren was silent, his eyes pleading as he stared at the man.

“It’s terminal kid…” Sojiro’s shoulders sagged as he breathed deeply. He sniffled a little, his hand still resting over his eyes. “I haven’t told anyone yet, I just came from the clinic a little while before you showed up.” Sojiro placed his hands back on the countertop in front of him again and Ren could see the man shudder.

Ren remained silent and leaned back against the counter slowly, his eyes staring at the tiled ground of the little walkway behind the counter. He’d never noticed how the tiles were beginning to crack from the constant weight of someone walking on them.

The two men were silent for what could’ve been seconds, or hours. Neither was sure when Ren finally placed a hand on Sojiro’s shoulder and looked at the man. Sojiro looked at Ren’s hand and slowly reached up and patted it with his hand. Leblanc’s proprietor wasn’t much for showing affection, so the gesture was unexpected.

“How long?” Ren’s voice was quiet, he was scared to hear the answer.

“Months… Maybe four…” Sojiro’s eyes remained on the papers on the countertop.

The _infectious_ disease known as cancer had wormed its way through Sojiro so quietly that the man hadn’t even noticed it. He hadn’t been sick or anything when he had visited the clinic in Yongjen-Jaya for a checkup. He knew he was getting up there in years and he had wanted to make sure everything was ticking okay. When the results had come back from Tae’s examinations the two had talked. The basic outline though was pretty simple.

Sojiro Sakura was anything but _okay._

Ren’s eyes closed tightly as his heart broke. His hand clenched down tight on Sojiro’s shoulder and the man’s hand once again made its way up to it. This time Ren could feel Sojiro’s hand shaking as he rested his palm on the back of his hand. Sojiro was trembling, he was scared. He then moved his hand and shuffled away from Ren to grab two mugs from the kitchen cabinets over the stove. Ren fell into routine stepped out of the man’s way as Sojiro did something unexpected, the man walked to a booth and set the two cups down.

“I never sit out here… Grab that pot and come out here with me.” Sojiro sat down slowly and removed his glasses from his face. Ren could see how thin Sojiro’s arms had gotten as the man rubbed his eyes slowly before returning his glasses to sit upon his nose. Ren did as he was asked and sat down in the booth across from the man who had served as his second father. He poured the black liquid into the two cups and set the pot aside.

Sojiro breathed deeply and then he looked at the cup.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. They just sat in the booth and sipped at the mugs that sit in front of him. Ren could hear his phone chiming in his pocket, he was getting text messages from someone now. Probably Makoto sharing the newest thing that she had discovered about pregnancy. Ren’s face soured again, remembering _why_ he had stopped by Leblanc in the first place now. He felt sick to his stomach suddenly. He had been so happy on his way here, and since arriving his spirit had been crushed. He knew he was being selfish with those kinds of thoughts and Arsene quickly popped into his mind and reminded him that this wasn’t about him. He leaned back in the booth and then spoke finally.

“I was coming here today to tell you that Makoto’s pregnant…” Ren closed his eyes, hoping that the news would lighten the atmosphere in the room. It did one better though as Sojiro’s face absolutely lit up at hearing the news for a moment. He laughed and shook his head.

“Hoo boy, you and that girl huh?” Sojiro’s face seemed to have a little more color now as he smiled warmly. “I remember when she called here, asking for your number.” The old man laughed now. “At the time I didn’t think _much_ of it. You had already brought Ann by here a couple times. So, I thought you and her were a thing.”

Ren scoffed a little. Ann was physically attractive, gorgeous even, but Ren needed more than that. He had initially been interested in the girl just based off her appearance. Once he got to know her though he knew that if anything ever happened between them that it wouldn’t last. She was a sweet girl, but she just wasn’t the right girl for him.

“Then you broke into my house.” Sojiro’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Hey, technically we didn’t _break_ in. The door was unlocked.” Ren smirked a little.

“Smart ass…” Sojiro sipped his coffee. “When I saw that poor girl huddled up clinging to you, I knew.” Ren and Sojiro both smiled at the memory. Makoto was so tough, Ren would’ve never imagined in a million years that the same girl that beat the hell out of cosmic demons and rode the Persona of the High Priestess would ever be scared of the dark, or ghosts. “The shit eating grin on your face… You didn’t stop smiling at all that night, did you?”

“Nope, not for one second.” Ren admitted as he raised a hand, guilty as charged.

“Ah kid, I’ve watched you all grow up so much.” Sojiro’s eyes were getting misty now, despite his reservations about affection and showing how he felt, the man was a softie at heart. “I’m just proud of you, all of you.” He nodded softly.

Ren stared at the man, not sure what to say but feeling his heart twist and turn in pain as he looked at the somber smile upon Sojiro Sakura’s face.

“If there’s anything I did right in this world, it’s you guys.” He sipped his coffee again, as he nodded to the framed portrait of the Phantom Thieves in their casual clothes. The same one that rest on Ren’s desk at home, a single tear falling down his cheek.

Ren felt as if he should finally say something.

“You did right by me…” Ren began quietly. “More than my own father did when I was on probation, more than he did after that too.” Ren leaned back, finally finding the strength to confess what he had felt in his heart since spending that first year here in Tokyo.

“You’re more like my father than he ever will be.” Ren’s voice cracked hard while trying to push the words out. He bit the inside of his mouth as he stared at the countertop to his right. Sojiro nodded softly and listened.

“Your dad Ren, he’s a complicated man.” Sojiro scoffed softly, taking a sip of his coffee again.

“I wouldn’t know. He’s never told me anything about himself, I barely know him, and what little I do know was from my mother.” Ren felt a little anger as he spoke those words. They would’ve made sense if Ren’s father had disappeared like Ryuji’s, but he didn’t. The man still lived at his childhood home with his wife, Ren’s mother, and Ren still didn’t know anything about the man.

“You should---” Sojiro started, wanting to offer some sage-like advice that probably only came with age but Ren wasn’t hearing it.

“I wasn’t done…” He softly cut in, facing Sojiro now. The older man nodded and took a larger swig of the black liquid in front of him. Takemi had suggested staying away from it for now, and Sojiro had asked her harshly _‘What’s the point in that now?’_ Tae hadn’t responded, knowing full well that there wasn’t any point. Better to let the man live out the rest of his days how he pleased, limited as they may be.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is would it be okay…” Ren leaned forwards and stopped for a second, almost as if he was scared to ask the question on his lips. He would have to force it out now.

“Would it be alright, if I just called you Dad?” Tears were forming in Ren’s eyes.

Sojiro’s mouth came unhinged, and single painful sob escaped from his throat before he closed his mouth again. The man reached down and took hold of Ren’s hand, nodding slowly as tears silently fell down the two men’s faces.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren’s conversation with Sojiro Sakura had drained all the excitement from his body. It was well into the night now and he hadn’t completed his _honey-do_ list for Makoto, he knew she’d understand once he explained what happened though. Sojiro Sakura had been such a big influence on Ren’s life, and here they were. Nearly ten years later and he was sick.

He was dying…

Ren tried to wrap his head around the fact that Sojiro would never meet Ren and Makoto’s child and he felt a pit form in his stomach. He had ridden his bike over to Yongjen-jaya and now as he mounted the machine, staring down the backstreets he couldn’t help but feel like he was losing his mind. Every time he thought he gotten a grip on the entire situation Sojiro’s cryptic words came tumbling back into his mind.

_“it’s terminal kid…”_

Those terrible words played back in the man’s mind as he gazed towards Leblanc. Boss and he had sat for a long time, talking about the arrangements that would need to be made in preparation for what was eventually going to happen. Ren couldn’t help but feel proud of how strong Sojiro was, he was facing the end of his life head on. No amount of pride could hide how hurt Ren really was though, or how afraid Sojiro felt when he thought about the encroaching end, not for long at least. Sojiro had eventually decided the table the rest of the discussion when it got to be too much. The younger of the two men agreed.

Ren had decided that riding in his emotional state wasn’t the smartest decision and ripped the key from the ignition of his old Yamaha. Makoto wouldn’t mind driving him back in the morning, and it would give them a chance for a moment together. There hadn’t had many of those lately. The thought was hollow right now, even though Ren desperately needed to have some time with his wife after today. As he slowly walked through the backstreet towards the station, he thought about the little girl with the dog he had seen earlier.

Last time he had spoken with the child she had been standing alone. Ren was on his way to the station to catch the train out of Tokyo to return home and the girl had been standing by herself in front of her little house, crying softly. Ren had stopped and knelt in front of the child then and asked her what was wrong. The girl explained that her little dog that she had always been with before had passed away. The dog had been somewhat of an emotional support animal for the young child, Ren thought. The little girl understood that all things must end at some point and that her having known the animal had made her a better person.

At the time Ren had placed his hand on the child’s head and told her that she was absolutely right, the bonds we forge are what made us better people, and even though we may not see the ones we forged those relationships with, they would always be in our hearts. It had been cathartic to the young man to have such an epiphany as he was also facing the fact that he wouldn’t see the people he had grown to care for anymore, not for some time at least. The young girl had smiled then and dried her eyes as she looked at Ren, nodding her head as if she somehow understood the young adult’s philosophical musings.

That conversation weighed heavily on his heart as he passed by Leblanc, Sojiro had gone home finally to inform Futaba of what was going on and the café was completely dark now. Ren stood there for a while, thinking of all the memories that the place held for him and the elder Sakura. Ren knew he was crying when he started thinking about the day he met Sojiro and how slowly their relationship had grown from awkward tolerance of one another’s presence, to something akin to what Ren felt for his own father. Maybe even more so than his own father if Ren was honest with himself. Sojiro had once confided in the young man that if he had ever been blessed with a son, he would’ve hoped he’d have been like Ren. Charismatic, intelligent, efficient, brave, and kind. Sojiro had come to think of Ren like family and honestly, right now it made the news about his health so much harder to handle.

The tears that streamed down Ren’s face were not those of a man excited for the future, but of one longing for the past, for more time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm going to catch hell for this one... but here it goes.
> 
> I decided to do something different with this prompt. So many people's prompts for Day 7 are so happy and full of life. Well MOST of my prompts have been like that, so I felt it only fitting to try something different. Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Holding It Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren has to get the gang together at Leblanc without telling them why, he decides that the best way to do that is to resurrect the old group chat. Little does he realize how much the rest of his team has missed this thing...

With a heavy heart Ren decided that he could at least arrange the meet up like Sojiro had asked him to. He wanted to break the news to Futaba tonight so Ren would have to be careful with his words when he talked to the rest of the Phantom Thieves. He decided that the easiest way to do that was to just resurrect the old group chat. He hoped that everyone still had the app on their phones.

_*Ren has joined the chat*_

_Ren -/Invite contacts_local: Makoto, Ann, Futaba, Haru, Ryuji, Yusuke_

_Ren - Hey everyone._

_*Ryuji has joined the chat*_

_*Ann has joined the chat*_

_*Makoto has joined the chat*_

_*Haru has joined the chat*_

_*Yusuke has joined the chat*_

_Ryuji - Whoa, holy shit this thing still works?!_

_Futaba - Yeah, I know right? I never expected us to use this thing again…_

_Ann – Heyyy! At the airport in MILAN, so I may lose signal soon!_

_Ren - Guys, I have some important news I need to discuss with everyone._

_Futaba - Oh captain, my captain, what is this ‘news’ you speak of?_

_Yusuke- I thought Skull was the pirate, is Joker a pirate as well now?_

_Haru - Oh my, I didn’t expect this. Hello everyone! It’s so good to hear from you all again!_

_Futaba- It’s an expression Inari, damn. And no, Joker’s still a cat._

_Ren – I am not a cat…_

_Futaba – That sounds like something a cat would say! *Shines flashlight in Ren’s eyes*_

_Ren - Ow! Shit! Futaba, stay out of my phone, and let me turn the damn flashlight off!_

_Futaba - Never doubt my POWHA again!_

_Haru – It’s true, Morgana says it all the time!_

_Makoto – Oh wow, this thing still works?_

_Futaba - Right?!_

_Ryuji – I said, LITERALLY, the same thing! (so did Haru)_

_Futaba – Mom-koto’s cuter, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! (b.t.dubs, Haru you're pretty cute too)_

_Haru - Why thank you, it's the hair._

_Ann - Such a cinnamon roll. lol._

_Makoto - What’s this about Ren? (Thank you, Futaba, I owe you sugar now =D)_

_Futaba – WOOOOOO SUGARRR!_

_Ren - Sorry hun, I planned on filling you in when I got home, but I needed to talk to everyone as well. Bear with me._

_Ren - I needed to know if you all are free this Sunday? Ann, Yusuke will you two be in Tokyo?_

_Ryuji - You could’ve just sent them messages and not dredged up the old group chat bro._

_Ann – Oh wow! Well screw you too. I happened to miss the old group chat!_

_Futaba – You would! ;-)_

_Ryuji – Wait hold up! I didn’t mean it like that!_

_Ann – Did** FTFY! And I’m playing Ryuji, Jesus, calm down!_

_Futaba – Grody…_

_Ren – Agreed, so yeah, are you two in Tokyo or not?_

_Yusuke - I’m in Tokyo now actually. I have been for some time._

_Ryuji – Hey, no worse than you and Team Mom over here, and don’t even get me started on you Gremlin!_

_Ann – YEA! oh, and I’m flying in today actually! We just finished up a shoot in Milan._

_Futaba – I will destroy your smart home…_

_Ryuji – Shutting up now._

_Futaba – Smart…_

_Ann – Damn, Oracle with the hard shutdown._

_Makoto – Don’t drag me into this. I’ll embarrass you all…_

_Ann - …_

_Futaba - …_

_Ryuji - …_

_Haru - …_

_Ren - …_

_Yusuke - …_

_Makoto – good, now proceed._

_Ann – Team Mom scary AF…._

_Ren – Right?_

_Yusuke - I must admit I have been meaning to contact you all though, my apologies for the radio silence._

_Futaba – Stupid Inari, why didn’t you say anything?_

_Yusuke - Nobody asked, and I have been preoccupied with preparing a new exhibit._

_Haru – That’s a little sad actually, have we been neglecting you Yusuke?_

_Yusuke – Not at all! I find that that long periods of solitude are good for “artist’s spirit”_

_Yusuke – ;_;_

_Ann – Oh my god, Did Yusuke just make a joke?!_

_Ryuji – Welp, hell’s frozen over, Ren kidnapped the devil in his creepy mask and now everything’s finally going to shit without him there._

_Ren – That’s… Ryuji wtf…_

_Makoto – LOL_

_Haru – That wasn’t… really that funny Ryuji_

_Haru – Yayyyy, Yusuke though! Come see me and Mona-chan tomorrow!_

_Makoto – I thought it was a little funny…._

_Ryuji – She’s just posturing because she wants him._

_Ann – Ryuji! RUDE!_

_Ryuji – But True!_

_Haru – Wh-What?!_

_Yusuke – I would love to! What do you want me to do Haru?_

_*Haru has left the chat*_

_Makoto – Oh my…_

_Ann – *Squeal*_

_*Futaba has left the chat*_

_*Futaba has joined the chat*_

_Ren – Futaba? Are you there?_

_Futaba – Yep._

_Yusuke – Like always these group chats are so perplexing…_

_*Haru has joined the chat*_

_Makoto – Everything okay Haru?_

_Haru – Yes! Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?_

_Ryuji – Hifumi says hey everyone._

_Ann – Hey Hifumi, Ryuji tell her we need to do lunch soon, I miss her face. *Mwuah*_

_Makoto – I’d like to join you as well! (Hey Hifumi, Shogi rematch? I’ve been practicing.)_

_Ren – You do know you can just add her to this chat Ryuji, right? I mean, she knows…_

_Ryuji – She doesn’t want to download the app, she says the colors hurt her eyes._

_Futaba – Try changing the settings to “Reduced color mode”_

_Futaba- You’re welcome!_

_Ryuji – HOLY SHIT! I gotta show her this!_

_Haru – Lunch sounds lovely! We could meet at the café!_

_Ann – Wait, which café?_

_Haru – We can do mine, I have a new crepes recipe I’d love for you all to try!_

_Futaba – I was going to pass but you just said the MAGIC WORD lady!_

_Haru – It’s Noir, actually ;-)_

_Makoto – That does sound appealing!_

_Futaba - *Drool*_

_Ann – I’m getting on a plane now Haru! Get those crepes ready!_

_Haru – It’s 10:30pm here Ann!_

_Ann – DON’T CARE!_

_Ann – But seriously guys, Milan…_

_Ann - You guys have got to see it sometime, it’s soooooooo gorgeous!_

_Futaba - If it’s not Fiji, I’m not going_

_Haru – Morgana wants me to tell you Hi Panther_

_*Shogi Master has joined the chat*_

_Ryuji – Dude, for real? he’s STILL trying to climb THAT tree huh?_

_Haru – it appears so, it’s quite flattering. And he says, “screw you bonehead!”_

_Ann – HI Morgana, don’t listen to them. I think it’s sweet! *Mwuah*_

_Ryuji – Effin cat._

_Haru – You know what he said to that…_

_Shogi Master – good evening everyone! Sorry I couldn’t join before, Ryuji changed some settings on my phone and it’s showing up much easier now!_

_Ren – Hey Hifumi._

_Ann – Hey Girl, lunch this week?_

_Makoto – I also would like to request a rematch. I’ve been touching up my battle strategies._

_Haru – We were talking about going to Café Noir this week, would you like to join us?_

_Shogi Master – That sounds fantastic! I’d love to come!_

_Ren – Yeah okay… Look guys seriously, can we get back on topic?_

_Makoto – Okay Futaba, I have to know… What is it with you and Fiji? You’ve been talking about it since we were kids._

_Ren – Guess not… Alright._

_Futaba - Fiji Water duh! Shit’s delicious. If I go there, I can have all I want!_

_Yusuke – Her logic is quite sound…_

_Makoto - …_

_Ann - …_

_Ryuji - ..._

_Haru – Futaba I don’t think it works that way honey…_

_Ren – I’m hoping on a train in Yongjen-Jaya, so I may lose signal._

_Makoto – Ren, honey is everything okay? Why aren’t you riding the bike? Is it okay? You didn’t crash, did you?!_

_Ren – Bike’s fine, just don’t feel safe driving it atm._

_Makoto – You didn’t answer my question though, are you okay?_

_Ryuji – Yeah bro, normally it’s Mom-Koto that’s tearing us a new one about dragging these convo’s out._

_Makoto – I DO NOT RYUJI!_

_Ryuji – Yes, Mom-Koto…_

_Ren – I’m fine._

_Shogi Master – Is that what they call you? That’s so cute._

_Makoto – Nobody that says ‘I’m fine’ is ever fine. What’s going on?_

_Ann – Yea Ren, What’s wrong?_

_Futaba - ^_

_Haru – I’m worried as well, you’re usually right at home when we’re all laughing. Has something happened?_

_Yusuke – Yes. Tonight you do seem more serious than your usual self._

_Shogi Master – I’m inclined to agree that something about you seems off as well Amamiya-kun. Are you ill?_

_Ren – Nothing gets by you guys huh? Look I’m just really tired and I’ve… I’ve had a really fucked up day._

_Makoto – Is this about… What we talked about last night?_

_Ren – No! God no, that was… Just no hun, I’ll explain when I get home. I just need to know if you guys can meet up on Sunday at 3pm or not._

_Makoto – Okay…_

_Ryuji – Ignoring the incredibly obvious elephant in the room here because of the sexual overtones you two are sending out, we got a thing this Sunday._

_Ryuji – Nevermind, we’re good. Hifumi said I should go._

_Shogi Master – Yes, I have a match this Sunday, so I’ll be otherwise occupied, my apologies._

_Futaba - Does that mean I have to go out into the sun? *hisssss*_

_Yusuke - I could use a break, where are we meeting? I have longed to see the Sayuri for some time now._

_Haru - I would love to visit with everyone! It’s been too long since we all got together! Café Noir?_

_Ann – I have a meeting with some producers about a movie early in the morning Sunday, but I can reschedule if this is important!_

_Ren – No, no need for all that, we can get together after you’ve finished your meeting and it has to be at Leblanc._

_Makoto – Well, I had wanted to… Nevermind, I’ll discuss this with you when you get home._

_Futaba – Uh oh, Ren me thinks the missus had other plans for that day. *hint hint* *wink wink*_

_Futaba – Bow chicka wow ow_

_Makoto - … Do you want me to hit you?_

_Shogi Master – Are you always this violent with one another?_

_Futaba – Sorry Mom-Koto. (Lots of pent up frustration in this group chat Hifumi, I mean LOADS!)_

_Haru – Morgana is asking if there will be sushi. (Poor girl has no idea…)_

_Ren – No, no sushi, tell him that this is important though. He needs to be there too._

_Ryuji – Man, what’s wrong?_

_Ren – We’ll talk on Sunday…_

_Ryuji – Okay dude, look the … Shit is cryptic, don’t do us like that!_

_Ren – Just be at Leblanc on Sunday._

_Ann – Sounds good, but are you sure you don’t want to talk now?_

_Ren – I’m sure._

_Makoto – I’ll figure out what’s going on._

_Futaba – Detective Queen is ON. THE. CASE!_

_Makoto – Sergeant now, actually! I literally just got the call earlier today after Ren dropped off some legislation papers with my boss!_

_Ren – He already called you?! Damn._

_Makoto – Yeah! I just found out about two hours ago! He said that Mr. Yoshida was very convincing that you were a good man and that there would be no conflict of interest moving forward! Annnnd I get the next few days off because they’re moving my office to the sergeant’s room!_

_Ren – That’s great babe. Really._

_Makoto – You don’t seem all that excited, are you sure you’re okay?_

_Ren – I’m okay._

_Futaba - *Whoosh*_

_Ryuji - ?_

_Yusuke - ?_

_Makoto – I know I’m going to regret this but…_

_Makoto - ?_

_Futaba – That was the joke, flying over Mom-Koto’s head while her and Ren took over the chat. (but seriously though, congrats on the promotion, I know you were scared as hell you weren’t going to get it because you’re aldvhocivh;lkahvxl_

_Futaba – Ow damnit that hurt!_

_Makoto – Be silent…_

_Futaba – Hell no, you just threw a shoe at me!_

_Futaba – Guys! Guys! Mom-Koto’s alkdsjfa_

_Futaba - STOP THROWING SHIT AT ME!_

_Makoto – That’s better…_

_Ryuji - What the hell is happening?_

_Ann - I don't know but people are looking at me funny cause I can't stop laughing. I think they may think I have problems..._

_Shogi Master - Don't we all?_

_Futaba - Child abuse is what's happening Ryuji! Mom-Koto is throwing stuff at me!_

_Ren – Wait, Makoto are you and Futaba together?_

_Makoto – Funny story about that actually… She came to get your laptop so she could_

_Futaba – So I could fix it!_

_Makoto - Fix it..._

_Ren - I'm on my way home, Futaba go to your room. Makoto stop throwing stuff at Futaba._

_Makoto - She started it._

_Futaba - I DID NOT!_

_Haru - There's Dad-Ren! hehehe_

_Ren – Wait, What happened to my laptop?!_

_Makoto – I may have… accidentally spilled something on it… I may not have, there were no witnesses, you can't prove anything!_

_Ren – Makoto!_

_Makoto – I’m sorry!_

_Futaba – Don’t get your panties in a bunch Ren, I can fix it. I’ll have it back to you, good as new._

_Shogi Master - Oh my, Ren I had no idea you fancied women's underwear..._

_Shogi Master - That's so funny because Ryuji.. Help! He's trying to get my phone!_

_Ryuji - Sorry guys, Hifumi's gonna step out for a second._

_Ren – Thank you (btw, wtf Ryuji?)_

_Ryuji - Don't worry about it._

_Ann - hehehehe, No Ryuji, tell ussssssss._

_Haru - I am quite curious, Ryuji, something we should know about you? =P_

_Yusuke - I as well._

_Ryuji - I have no idea what you're talking about._

_Futaba – Hmmmm_

_*Shogi Master’s name has been changed to Hifumi*_

_Hifumi – Huh? I didn’t do that._

_Makoto – Futaba…._

_Futaba – What? I didn’t do nothing!_

_Futaba – You can’t prove it coppa!!!!!_

_Futaba – Ren help, she’s giving me the look, I just know it._

_Ren – On your own there, short stack!_

_Futaba – Eat. A. Dick. =D_

_Makoto – FUTABA!_

_Ryuji - =O_

_Hifumi – Oh my…_

_Ann – What they said ^_

_Futaba -Sorry…_

_Ren – S’okay. You probably have more experience in that department than I do anyhow._

_Futaba – You can’t see my face right now, but my jaw is on the floor._

_Hifumi – OH MY…_

_Haru – Agreed ^_

_Makoto – Oh my god, you guys should see her face, I can’t stop laughing._

_Hifumi – Take a picture!_

_Makoto – Owww! Futaba, no throwing stuff in my house!_

_Futaba – Oh so YOU get to do it but I can’t?!_

_Ryuji – Can I just say, This is great…_

_Ann – Mmhm, I missed this… =D_

_Makoto – Yes, it’s MY house! (me too though)_

_Futaba – Sick burn though Ren… I’ll concede, THIS TIME Muahahahaha!_

_*Makoto’s name has been changed to In The Doghouse*_

_In The Doghouse – Futaba change it back or I’ll throw another one at you._

_*In The Doghouse’s name has been changed to Makoto*_

_Makoto – Now stop it._

_Yusuke – I am most certainly confused, something *whooshed* past Queen’s head and she threw a shoe at Oracle?_

_*Futaba has left the chat*_

_Ann – Oh Yusuke…_

_Ryuji – No, No I think he actually got it right that time, mostly._

_Haru – Yay, Yusuke!_

_Yusuke – So then who threw something at Queen?_

_Haru – And there it is…_

_Ann – Called it!_

_*Futaba has joined the chat*_

_Futaba – I’m back bitches! Sorry, was switching off wifi._

_Yusuke – I merely wish to ascertain if one of us will be needing to bail Joker out of jail tonight. He’s awfully protective of the two of them._

_Ryuji – Nevermind…_

_Ren – Why are we talking about this? That was years ago, and you all swore you’d never discuss it._

_Makoto – Well you did break that guy’s nose. Thankfully the other guests saw it otherwise that could’ve been bad._

_Futaba – I hope you mean BADASS, cause it totally was. I didn’t know you could fight like that Ren!_

_Ren – You’ve watched me fight like a million times Futaba…_

_Futaba – Yeah but that was over there! Seeing you do it over here was actually…_

_Ann – Pretty hot…_

_Haru – Very._

_Makoto– Mmm, Yes it was._

_Ren – He was grabbing at your… Well, you know._

_Makoto – I’m a big girl Ren, with a big girl gun and everything._

_Ryuji – Is everyone just going to ignore the fact that EVERY female in this chat just hit on Ren?_

_Hifumi – Well, almost every female. I must admit, I’d rather have seen you fighting honey._

_Ryuji – At least one of you is loyal. Thank you, baby._

_Hifumi – Ren would be a close second though._

_Ryuji – Ow… My heart._

_Ann – hehe you two are still adorable, you know, that right?_

_Ryuji – Thanks Ann._

_Hifumi – Thank you Dear._

_Ren – Oh, so I can’t PUNCH someone trying to fondle you, but you can SHOOT them?!_

_Makoto – Yes, I’m a police officer, it would’ve been fine. I know how to get away with it. (Which couple was that meant for Ann?)_

_Ren - …_

_Ryuji - …_

_Ann - … (Hifumi and Ryuji)_

_Haru - …_

_Hifumi – Ha! Score one for the Sakamoto-Togi empire! *virtual high five*_

_Makoto – Booooo._

_Ryuji – Hell Yeah *virtual high five* Why’d we type that if we were just gonna do it in real life too?_

_Hifumi – They can’t SEE us do it in real life._

_Ren – If anything ever happens to me, she did it._

_Ann – If anything does then you probably deserved it._

_Yusuke – What would Ren do to deserve Makoto shooting him?_

_Futaba – Wait wut? Makoto shot Ren? I look away for two seconds and someone becomes a murder? What the hell people?!_

_Makoto – I would never hurt you! I like you too much. ;-)_

_Futaba – Oh, I get it now_

_Yusuke – OH! Laugh out loud._

_Futaba - ????_

_Yusuke – I just got the joke._

_Ryuji – FOR REAL?!_

_Futaba – STUPID INARI! Lol_

_Hifumi – I’m lost. What joke_

_Ryuji - *Whoosh*_

_Hifumi – Oh, wow really? He just got that?_

_Ann – Yep, that’s our Yusuke._

_Haru – Yusuke, honey, you do know you don’t have to spell it out right?_

_Yusuke – I know, I merely wish to._

_Futaba – You are SO WEIRD!_

_Ren – My transfer’s coming up, we all good now, Sunday 3pm Leblanc? Everyone got it? This is incredibly important guys._

_Yusuke – As you wish._

_Ann – I’ll be there._

_Haru – I have a new cat carrier I’ve been waiting to use!_

_Ryuji – Ah man, Yes! The Thieves are back baby!_

_Futaba – You’re lucky I like you guys…_

_*Ren's name has been changed to Akechi's_Number1_Fanboi*_

_Akechi's_Number1_Fanboi - I will stab you in the eye with a fork._

_*Akechi's_Number1_Fanboi's name has been changed to Ren*_

_*Ren has left the chat*_

Ren sighed deeply as he stepped out of the train and onto the platform in Shibuya, he would need to take a cab the rest of the way home, but that was alright, it was only about a short drive. The group chat had been a decent idea, everyone seemed to be in such fantastic moods. However, every time it would begin to rub off on him and he’d joke around with everyone he couldn’t help but be drawn back to the _reason_ he had to make the new chat in the first place.

A dear friend of theirs was very sick. Sojiro Sakura had asked Ren to set up a time for him to meet with the Phantom Thieves. Leblanc had served as a home away from home for the small band of outcasts and Sojiro, at some point or another, had been there for all of them, it may not always have been so obvious to the others though. Some of it even Ren hadn’t known about actually.

Ryuji had gone to him when his father had reappeared in his life.

Ann had gone to Sojiro when she had been confused as to if she wanted to propose to Shiho or not.

Makoto had gone to him when Ren had gone home.

Yusuke had confided in the man about his lingering feelings towards his former sensei.

Haru had learned to grow and roast coffee beans from the man himself.

Needless to say, Sojiro was kind of the one constant in the team. He was almost always at Leblanc, willing to lend an ear and any advice he could muster that he felt was appropriate. Even when the man didn’t know what advice to give, he would try his best to help the young adults understand the situation they were in and how they were feeling about it. That way they could make their own decisions when the time came.

He was truly a good man, and this unkind world was ripping him away from them. It was a sickening thought that Ren couldn’t stand. He wished he could dive into the Metaverse and fight back the disease that was killing the man, but the Metaverse was gone, and it didn’t work that way anyways. Ren thought about calling out to Lavenza, or to Igor, asking them if there was anything they could do.

He had played in Igor and Yaldabaoth’s twisted game, and won, all the while asking for nothing in return. Surely cosmic beings had the ability to save at least one man’s life? Right? Would they help him though? Was this _beyond_ them? Ren grit his teeth tightly for a moment, so tightly that they were close to cracking. If these creatures with phenomenal powers wouldn’t do anything to help save a man who had put so much _good_ into the world, then what good were they themselves?

Ren huffed heavily. No, that line of thinking wasn’t fair. Igor had been imprisoned by Yaldabaoth. The twins had been used by the false God and made to dance with his machinations, their only clue about his _rehabilitation_ being a list that they had written as Lavenza. When they had been separated from one another into Caroline and Justine they had lost all recollection of the game and been forced into it as unwitting participants themselves.

Ren couldn’t fault them for anything that they did or didn’t do now, even if a part of him still wanted to try.

 

* * *

 

 

When Ren had explained to Makoto what was wrong that night, he had expected her to cry, what he hadn’t expected was for her to cry as hard as he was crying. Ren knew that Makoto had often visited Sojiro when he was away, the man text him as much, but he hadn’t known how strong that bond had become while he was away, or how it had continued to grow after he had come home. Sojiro had told Ren that night in Leblanc that he thought of Makoto and Him like family and when he relayed those sentiments to his wife she had held Ren tightly in her arms and the two of them had fallen asleep somberly that night, something that didn’t happen often. Thankfully.

Futaba had also called him that night, bawling like a small child. Sojiro had wanted to be the one to break the news to his adopted daughter, and he had said as much, but that didn’t stop the young genius from cussing Ren out over the phone for letting her act so insensitive and stupid in that group chat that night. Ren hadn’t argued with her, just listened to her curses and crying. Telling her that he was sorry, and that he wished there was something he could do. By the end of it, Futaba had apologized and told him that she was grateful that he had stayed with the older man when he needed someone to talk to. She had admitted that had it been her that had found Sojiro standing at the counter of Leblanc that night that it probably would’ve gone much differently, and for all the love that she had for the man, she felt she only would’ve made things worse right then.

Now here they were, all standing in Leblanc as Sojiro broke the news to the Phantom Thieves, just as he had told Ren he had wanted to do that night when Ren had first found out how serious the situation was.

Ryuji had slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration.

Yusuke had lowered his head into his hands, not saying anything for a time.

Ann had immediately walked around the counter and hugged Sojiro while tears streamed down her face.

Haru had cried quietly while sitting at the counter, looking down into the jar of home-grown beans that Sojiro had taught her how to grow and roast, finally after three years they were ready for testing.

Futaba and Makoto stood next to one another, the latter holding the former. Both quietly sobbing. Each had the time to prepare for today, so their emotions were far more in check than the rest of the group, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still emotionally reeling, and it was painfully obvious.

Morgana knew he was risking life and limb when he jumped up on the counter and sat down in front of the older man. Looking up at him with the saddest expression a cat could muster. When Sojiro had stepped up the counter Morgana had done something he had never done before, he played his paws up on Sojiro’s chest and mewled softly, he was asking to be picked up. Ann had started to explain what the little furry mammal wanted, but Sojiro had already taken him in his arms and held him tightly. Morgana curled up in the man’s arms and let him scratch under his chin softly, it was a gesture that none of the Thieves had ever seen Morgana perform for any of them. Normally, Morgana hated being pet like a cat, but he let the man’s hand do as it wanted. After a time Morgana slowly, rose his body up and pressed his forehead against Sojiro’s chin. Mewling softly as he performed the ultimate act of feline affection. Ren had choked when he had relayed the animal’s words to Sojiro, words that every single one of them had been thinking.

“Thank you…”

Ren had been standing behind the counter with Sojiro then, a few tears still trickling down his face as he put his hand on the man’s shoulder.

“You damn kids…” Sojiro took his glasses off and then walked out from behind the counter after setting Morgana back down on the counter. He rubbed his eyes weakly as they glistened, tears slowly forming in the corners of his eyes. He held his arms out and beckoned the group of once dejected and forgotten teenagers towards him. As they slowly closed in around him Sojiro tried to wrap his arms around them all. For a man who didn’t have any children of his own, Sojiro Sakura was surrounded by more love from these people that looked at him like a father figure than anyone he’d had ever known. Every single member of the Phantom Thieves crowded around the man that day in the café, all trying to cling to him as if it would keep him there with them, all trying to impart their emotions onto him as if somehow, that would save him. The result was a massive group hug with Sojiro Sakura encased in their arms as they all clung to him tightly.

Every single one of them. Cat included.

As they all hugged the man affectionately known as _Boss_ that had served as a steady stream of knowledge, empathy, and stability, not one of them could stop their tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit it, a direct attempt at lightening my own heart after that last chapter. Whoo, that one was a bit hard for me to go back and read. Granted this one didn't end on a lighter note, but the journey there was fun to explore.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Our Little Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months have passed since that heartbreaking night in Leblanc and everyone is beginning to move forward now. 
> 
> Ren's having some difficulty with it and confides in his wife.

Makoto propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at Ren, she closed the book that lay in front of her and set it on the other side of her, moving it from between her and her husband. They were both lounging around in bed, Ren was leaning against the velvet blue headboard and Makoto had been laying on her side facing him, each reading separate books. Something they so often did when they ran out of things to discuss or they needed a quiet moment to themselves. The look on her face was one that could only be described as _content._ Makoto’s eyes scanned Ren’s face as she watched his eyes dart back and forth across the pages in front of him. He had been reading the books from Sojiro Sakura’s collection. Many of them by Maurice Leblanc.

“Why are you staring at me?” Ren didn’t look up from the tome in his hands.

“I think it suits you…” She spoke matter-of-factly.

Ren blinked and then lowered the book into his lap after placing a marker in between the pages, signaling where he was leaving off.

“What does?” A quizzical look rest upon his face as he turned his head slightly to gaze at his wife.

Makoto tilted her head a little to match and pursed her lips at the man softly, she hadn’t fully formulated what she was feeling when she had began speaking. That was _rare_ for Makoto, even these days. The woman scooted closer to Ren now and placed a hand against his chest. Feeling his heartbeat. Slow, smooth, calm, content.

“This does, the calm.” Makoto’s eyes closed as she pressed a little harder on his chest, wanting to feel more.

“Okay… I would sure hope so.” Ren chuckled a little. “My life can’t be danger and excitement all the time, you know?” Ren raised an eyebrow at her, confused as to what his beautiful wife was getting at.

“I Just mean…” She sat up fully now, one of the straps to her nightgown falling off her shoulder. Ren loved it when her clothing did that, he didn’t know why, but something about it was so alluring, so _sexy_. “Being here… In this house…” Her voice trailed off softly as she looked around the room.

“Ah…” Ren nodded, slowly understanding. His lips were pulled slightly tighter now, he still hadn’t fully wrapped his head around it all.

“You disagree?” Makoto looked back at her handsome husband, seeing the now solemn face that hinted that he was thinking too hard.

“No, not entirely.” He looked up at the large room of the home where they now lived. Ren sighed a little. “Well, I mean yes and no. A part of me does disagree with it. It doesn’t feel real still.” Ren closed his eyes softly and breathed deeply, determined not to let himself get emotional. That wasn’t always easy for him now. Especially given where they were.

They were in Sojiro Sakura’s home, or at least what had been his home before he passed away. The man had left the three-bedroom house to Futaba Sakura, his adoptive daughter. She had stayed there for a time, before finally realizing that she was falling back into her old habits of locking herself away from the world, much like she had when she had first reached out to the Phantom Thieves to change her own heart. Futaba found that whenever she was there, she was so depressed that she couldn’t manage to move forward past her adoptive father’s death. Ren had been surprised at her decision, but what surprised him more is when she showed up on his and Makoto’s doorstep with the key, telling them that she wanted the couple to raise their first child there. To honor him.

It had all happened so fast, one day Ren had been walking down the streets of Yongjen-Jaya, smile plastered across his face because he and his wife had just learned they were going to have their first child. Five and a half months later they were burying the man that had been something like a father to the entire group, especially Ren.

Ren could still remember that day, and the song that Sojiro had asked Ren to play when it happened, when he was lowered into the ground.

With the Stars and Us by Lyn Inaizumi.

The song had stuck in Ren’s mind for weeks after the man had been buried, each time spurring the forlorn man that remained to tears.

“It’s still hard sometimes.” Ren finally finished his thought. Makoto nodded softly and then lifted the man’s arm and wrapped it around her, forcing herself closer and laying her head upon his chest.

“I miss him too.” Makoto said softly, closing her eyes as Ren ran his fingertips down her arm and she began to be lulled into quiet comfort by the man’s heartbeat. Ren sighed heavily, feeling a massive weight lift slowly off his chest. Ren had always had strong emotions, but in his youth, he had found that he did a better job of hiding them than showing them to those around him. Something that had slowly started to change over the years when he first moved back to Tokyo.

The downside of that was that it was harder to control those same emotions whenever they flared up. Ren wondered if that was how Makoto had felt when they were teenagers, and when he asked her that one night she had laughed heavily and explained that she had it way worse than just simply controlling her emotions. How could the girl control what she didn’t understand? Ren knew what he was feeling, he just had a hard time keeping it in check sometimes because, like her, he also had a deep well of emotions inside of him. Once he had tapped into that, it wasn’t as easy to go back.

All throughout his youth he had given off the perception that he was aloof, that he didn’t have a care in the world. He would go with the flow or wherever his adventures took him. Nobody knew that deep inside Ren felt everything incredibly deeply, but he had been afraid to show anyone how much he held back the feelings inside of him. Certain people that Ren met in his life had made him realize that there was nothing wrong with him being more open, but there was also nothing wrong with being more reserved with some things. These people showed Ren that there was nothing wrong with _him_ at all.

“We’ve both grown and changed so much…” Ren spoke softly as he listened to his wife’s breathing. “And were not the only ones either. Everyone has.” Ren gestured towards his wife. “I mean, look at Sae. Would you _ever_ have imagined that Sae Niijima, _your sister,_ would be adopting two kids?” Ren sighed deeply as he leaned his head back against the headboard.

Makoto winced a little at the mention of Sae’s name. She still needed to apologize to her sister for that argument they got into a couple weeks ago when she had finally asked for Sae to bring the Buchimaru plushie by. Makoto sat silent though, knowing this was probably a bad time to bring up her _favorite_ childhood mascot.

“I mean… She loves Tatsunaru and Mimiku, just looking at her you can see that. Mimiku calls her Mama-Sae now, you know?” Ren’s eyes were happy but there was still that somber tone in his voice. “Then you’ve got the rest of the gang too. Everyone’s changed so much.” Ren breathed deep, it was a lot, but not all bad. The struggle for Ren lately had been remembering that while things were definitely different, many of those changes were nothing short of amazing.

“I think it’s a good thing.” Makoto looked up at him, not quite able to see his face from where her head lay on his chest.

“Mmm.” Ren nodded, the noise made his chest vibrate a little against Makoto’s face. It was a good sound.

“I, for one, am incredibly happy with how _you_ turned out.” Ren felt his wife’s head pop up quickly and press her soft lips against his cheek, partially still pressed against him.

“Oh? Was there ever any doubt about how I’d be?” Ren’s eyebrows raised. The way he worded it sounded as if he was joking, but the question was completely serious.

“None.” Makoto smiled softly at her lover as she ran a finger down his cheek where she kissed him. Her voice sensual and sweet. She then collapsed her head against his shoulder, the sudden urge to cuddle him taking over as she snaked her palm up to rest on his chest again, under his T-shirt this time.

“Your affectionate tonight, what do you _want_?” Ren quipped lightly. Makoto had gotten much _much_ better about both showing and sharing her feelings now. Her pregnancy had ripped the last few vestiges of restraint away from the poor woman with her rapid mood swings.

“Mmm, you should see where that gets you Amamiya-kun…” She teased as she started to pull away a little bit. Ren took the bait she was dangling in front of him, quickly tightening the grip his arm had around her.

“I didn’t say stop.” Ren relented happily.

“Good, because I don’t want to.” Makoto nestled back against his shoulder with a huff and closed her eyes again. The two sat in a comfortable silence that only two people who loved each other wholly and unconditionally could achieve. Ren lightly rested his head on top of Makoto’s and closed his eyes.

“I just mean… Life is always changing.” Makoto’s eyes opened as she heard her husband’s voice.

“That’s not always a bad thing though.” His wife’s counterpoint was solid, it wasn’t always bad. “you’ll always have those memories of Boss. Of us, of all of it. That’s what makes life worth living Ren.”

 _‘I couldn’t have said it better myself…’_ Arsene mused happily in Ren’s mind as the man started to feel a smile forming on his face.

“When did you get so wise?” Ren sat up slowly, forcing her to sit up with him. The conversation with Makoto had raised his spirits. He wasn’t completely out of the depression that had tried to grip his heart so tightly, but with her there, he was well on his way.

Makoto shifted her weight a little and slid her knees underneath her. A knowing smirk spreading across her lips.

“Well, you see… It all started when I met the most dashing young thief…” Ren’s heart stopped for a second. Makoto slowly raised her body up so that she was standing on her knees.

“This thief, was so charming and kind, that I fell hopelessly…” She raised one leg slowly over Ren’s as he uncrossed his feet. Her hands resting on his shoulders to steady herself.

“Madly…” She shook her head quickly, causing her hair to spray out in an overexaggerated wave. It made Ren chuckle softly.

“In…” Ren’s eyes ran up her body, raised above him on her knees. He was starting to feel a different kind of warmth as his wife lowered herself into his lap. Ren’s hands instinctively resting at their home on her wide hips.

“Love…” Makoto leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his own as she spoke. The words a little more than a breath now. Her hands released his shoulders and clawed down to his chest. Then back up past his neck softly and stopped as she placed her palms against his cheeks, cupping his face in her grasp. She calmly raised Ren’s gaze to meet her own and closed the distance between the two of them.

Her lips found their way against his, softly caressing them as Makoto’s entire body tightened up. A deep gasp escaping her throat as Ren’s arms slid around the crook in the small of her back, pulling her tight against him. Makoto’s hands guided themselves down Ren’s cheeks and neck, slowly inching their way around his broad shoulders and crossing behind his back, the way she always did.

Ren was lost in a haze now, his heart gushing nothing but love and desire as his wife’s lips gently caressed his own. She would pull away slightly and pull at his bottom lip with her teeth for a moment before pressing their lips together again, opening and guiding her tongue to meet his own.

Ren could feel his breathing growing heavy with hers, his mind lost all focus on everything else besides her. Nothing else mattered in this moment, just her. He ran his hands up her back and down again before stopping right on the small of her back. Makoto’s hands released the man’s face and reached back, grabbing at his hands. He adjusted slightly and let her take hold of them. She guided his hands to her rear and squeezed them lightly, signaling him to squeeze her there.

He did, feeling her nightgown bunching up in his hands and nothing else underneath it but his wife’s smooth bare skin. She had _planned_ this., the realization made her even more attractive to Ren.

She had to raise a hand up and press it against the headboard to steady herself at the sudden force of him clutching her. This broke their kiss and forced Makoto’s head to rest beside his, right next his ear. She moaned loudly as he gripped her butt tightly in his palms, his hands seemed to squeeze tighter as the sound flooded his skull and Makoto leaned in and began to nibble on his earlobe, soft gasps and moans coming from her mouth at his touch. Her free hand shooting up to his shoulder and digging her nails into his skin tightly. Ren began to tremble softly as Makoto started to kiss the side of his neck gently, nipping at his flesh every so often. Suddenly, she stopped.

She slowly leaned back, stabilizing herself with her core as she reached back again and removed Ren’s hands from one of his favorite parts of her body. She smirked at the man beneath her and raised an eyebrow as she lowered his hands to the bed, away from her body.

“Well?” She giggled happily at the look on the man’s face.

Ren couldn’t speak, air had left his body and his heart had turned to mush.

 _‘Wow…’_ Arsene spoke for him, his mouth uttering the words that his Persona spoke.

“Oh Joker…” Makoto’s voice was sultry as she slowly lowered her hands and began to slowly pull on the hem of her gown, down at first…

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” She then lifted the gown over her head and tossed it aside onto the floor in one fluid motion.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren was fast asleep when Makoto rose from her side of the bed, she had exhausted the poor man. Usually it was the other way around during these intimate nights. As she rose to her feet, she realized her legs were incredibly weak tonight, normally they were slightly wobbly but tonight she had almost lost her balance and had to steady herself with a hand on her nightstand, a good reminder of just how good the last hour or so had felt. The apartment was warm, but she could feel a chill crawling across her bare skin from somewhere. Makoto looked back at Ren and smiled proudly.

The young man had been struggling so hard since Sojiro Sakura had passed away, but since their daughter had been born, he had slowly started to come out of the haze that his mentor’s passing placed him in. Ren hadn’t even realized that the _waiting period,_ as her OB/GYN had called it, was over. Makoto figured he had forgotten, wrapped up in the little bundle of joy that slept soundly in Futaba’s old room just down the hall. Makoto leaned down and brushed the hair from the man’s face then rubbed his cheek softly for a moment before standing straight again.

She knew that Ren was tangled up in his emotions right now, coming to terms with losing someone so close to him, trying to figure out this wild ride called parenthood. They hadn’t been living here that long either, so sometimes that actually made things harder. She grabbed the robe she normally wore after her baths and slid her arms into the sleeves. Pulling the tie around her waist and closing it around her still naked body, it was soft and fuzzy. Much like how her heart had felt during their intimacy a short moment ago.

She was tired, but she wanted to check on the newest addition to Niijima-Amamiya family one last time before laying down herself. She cast a quick look at the clock on the wall. Makoto knew that the little one would wake soon to feed, and she wouldn’t want her cries to wake the man that Makoto had worked so hard to put to sleep. She smiled back at her husband’s form resting in the bed. He deserved nothing but peace and happiness, but life seemed to constantly want to challenge him. To challenge all of them. She had been speaking from the heart when she had told Ren that the memories made with those he loved was what made life worth living, she firmly believed that.

Especially after meeting him.

As if right on schedule, Makoto could hear their baby’s whimpers coming from the room just next to theirs. Ren normally would drag her basinet in the room with them so that he could be close to her as they slept but tonight Makoto had sternly told him not to, that she needed to get used to sleeping in her room. The little white lie had some truth to it, but Makoto had been planning on reminding Ren of all the positive things in his life, starting with her. She had blushed slightly when she devised the plan earlier in the day, mentally making preparations in her head for the big finale. Which, if she did say so herself, she nailed perfectly. She had made him swoon so deeply that he’d forgot to breathe in the beginning there.

Now _THAT_ was an accomplishment.

Makoto stepped into her daughter’s room and cooed softly as her whimpers changed to little cries.

“Mama’s here Akari.” She moved quickly, raising the small newborn in her arms and cradling her gently. The little one’s stubby hands reaching for the source of her food as she whined softly. Makoto adjusted her robe and guided Akari to her meal, once she finally latched on Makoto winced a little. The child’s gums were not as soft as they had been previously. It had only been a little over three months since their daughter had come into this world, but already the girl was growing quickly. Makoto could feel her heart swelling as she looked upon her baby, her little light.

Akari Niijima-Amamiya

Ren had been shocked when Makoto had chosen the name, it wasn’t the one that they had picked from the list of over fifty different names that Makoto had been jotting down for the baby. Makoto had cried so much the first time she held the newborn that she couldn’t say anything for a little while, but the only thing she could think during those first few moments was _my little light._ Ren had been smiling so bright and happy once the delivery was finally over. Makoto suspected that may have been because she had nearly broken his hand a few times there, forgetting her own strength just a little as wave after wave of contractions wracked her body with pain.

Makoto smiled deeply as she gazed down at the little girl latched onto her. Her hair was dark and curly, just like Ren’s shaggy mop that she refused to let him cut. Akari’s little nose and cheeks resembled Makoto’s as a baby, according to Sae at least. Her eyes though, her eyes were some strange mix of her parents. Makoto’s fiery reds and Ren’s listless grays, her eyes were beautiful. A warm pink that Makoto had hoped would stay that way forever. She had learned that baby’s eyes changed colors some months after being born, either getting darker or brighter as they slowly grew into toddlers. Akari’s were just perfect the way they were, and Makoto wished she could stop time, even just for one night when she looked up at her mother, eyes locked onto her mama’s as she ate.

Eventually Akari’s eyes began to close, slowly being lulled back to sleep by the soft hum of Makoto’s voice and the rocking of the chair swaying the two of them. Makoto was happy, but she couldn’t help but think about what Ren was saying earlier during dinner. He had found an old picture of Futaba and Sojiro that they had missed, and it had sent himself spiraling back into that strange limbo that rest between being happy and sad.

 _“I wish he could see her…”_ Was all Ren had said when Makoto had asked him what was wrong. She felt the same way and she said as much. She had placed a hand on his shoulder then, kneading it softly with her thumb as Ren held Akari in his arms. Ren was smiling at his daughter, but Makoto knew that beneath that smile was a deep reservoir of emotions that Ren still hadn’t figured out how to untangle. She knew that he was happy that their little girl was finally here, but it was bittersweet for the man right now and Makoto knew that one day that feeling would subside somewhat. While it would never disappear completely, it would fade a little. Nothing could ever fill the void that was left behind when a loved one was lost.

But then again, maybe nothing ever should.

Ren would learn to live with that hole, and if he was like anything like the man that Makoto had known he was then he would come out of the other side of it eventually. Just like she had. She still felt the twinge of sadness whenever her father was brought up in conversation, but she preferred to smile at his memory rather than shy away from it. If she was strong enough to do that now, then Ren would be able to do the same thing one day with the pain he held in his heart right now. Makoto knew that, and as much as she wished she could guide him to that point, she knew that it was something he’d have to do himself.

But she would be there with him, both her and little Akari, their little light. The small family of three. Moving forward together.

Makoto looked down at Akari and smiled softly, the young infant was staring back up at her again. She had noticed that Makoto’s humming had stopped and was glaring at her in protest.

“Oh, oh no. Honey, you can’t be looking at people like that yet.” Makoto chuckled a little as she witnessed the infant’s first _‘Niijima-Amamiya death glare.’_ Akari’s eyes softened upon hearing her mother’s voice and the baby cooed softly before returning to Makoto’s breast. “You’re a little too good at that already.” Makoto’s heart soared with pride. “That’s my girl…” Makoto added, pursing her lips and squinting her eyes while nodding, a sign of approval to the newest owner to hold the weapon of all Niijima women. _‘She’ll use it wisely.’_ Anat’s voice reassured the young mother silently. _‘Not if she’s anything like me…’_ Makoto’s voice retorted, knowing full well how useful that look had been on so many occasions.

She was so enamored with the tiny human that lay in her arms that she hadn’t heard Ren’s footfalls in the hallway. Then again, he moved so quietly that Makoto probably couldn’t have heard them even if she had been listening for them. He had been looking for Makoto when he had stepped from the bedroom. He had stopped in the hallway as soon as he heard Makoto talking with the baby. His heart warming at the sound.

Akari was cooing and babbling now, a sign that she was done eating for now. Makoto uttered a _‘thank god.’_ And covered herself again, her breast was so sore now that she had to rub it for a second before she set Akari on her shoulder. She stopped suddenly and grabbed a small blanket off the changing table and draped the cloth over her shoulder before propping the baby up to lay against it. Makoto had learned a hard lesson about burping the baby a few weeks ago, and she wasn’t keen to learn it again tonight. Akari was babbling as Makoto bounced the baby softly while rubbing circles on her back. This worked better than patting they found. Soon the room was filled with the sound of a couple little belches.

“There we go…” Makoto cooed softly as she inspected her shoulder, expecting at least a little spit up, there was some, but just barely and it remained on the little blanket. Makoto cradled Akari in one arm for a moment and threw the shoulder guard-slash-blanket into the hamper by the door.

“Bed time little one, Mama wants to sleep too.” Makoto acted like she was going to tickle the Akari’’s stomach, which the babbling baby responded to by grabbing onto Makoto’s hand with her own. “Not yet huh?” Makoto raised an eyebrow as she pouted a little. She was tired, but this was worth staying up a little longer for.

The soft breaths and coos of the beautiful creature in Makoto’s arms won that battle easily. Not even Queen could put up a fight.

“Fine. Story time then…” Makoto closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, causing it to start rocking again. “Where’d we leave off last time?” She glanced down at the baby who was now sputtering spit bubbles at her mama.

“Fine, guess I can start over.” Makoto sighed a little and Akari quieted down. Ren couldn’t help but feel as if _somehow_ these two understood each other as he leaned against the wall in the hallway.

“It all started when, one day, when the Student Council President was ordered by the principal to investigate the rumors about the Phantom Thieves…” Akari’s various noises grew loudly as she pulled on her mother’s hand. Ren ventured a peak around the door and felt his heart burst from happiness.

His wife and daughter were sitting in the little rocking chair, Makoto bundled in her bathrobe, Akari half swaddled in her blanket. Akari was playing with her mother’s hand, holding it with both her own. All while staring up at her mother with a toothless smile that could’ve melted ice with the warmth it showed. Makoto smiling happily while looking down at her baby girl, recounting the tale of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's your happy ending.
> 
> **Fun fact**  
> Akari = Light 
> 
> Thus, "our little light."
> 
> I want to thank everyone for the support that my ShuMako Week prompts have earned. I've decided that I may began working on a larger piece after taking a short break. Maybe finding a good proof reader in the process lol, who knows.
> 
> Thank you again if you read my entries for this wonderful week of creativity.


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